Hike of the week: Celebrate National Trails Day by exploring Bear Valley

IN HONOR OF National Trails Day, the Point Reyes National Seashore Association is launching its annual Point Reyes Trails Challenge with a free festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 1 at the Bear Valley Picnic Area.

There'll be food, music and service-related booths to help people learn more about the park and the Point Reyes Trails Challenge.

In addition to the festival, there are always plenty of things to see and do at Bear Valley. The visitor center is the hub. It includes a museum with nature items, natural history dioramas, Indian artifacts and pictorial displays of explorers and shipwrecks. The bookstore and gift section provides a wealth of nature and history books, trail guides, games and gifts.

Three short trails create interesting loops near the visitor center. The Earthquake Trail is an asphalt path suitable for wheelchairs and strollers. This half-mile loop meanders through the rift area of the San Andreas Fault with signs and old photographs showing damage caused by the 1906 earthquake. A highlight of the trail is the broken fence that was offset 16 feet during the famous earthquake.

The trail to Kule Loklo, a replica Coast Miwok Indian village, is an easy half-mile walk. Visitors can see the family dwellings, a sweat lodge, dance house, acorn granary and sunshades. You can continue on around the horse pasture on the Morgan Trail. Rangers ride these horses when they patrol the trails. Be sure to stop at the small Morgan Horse Museum building and see the displays.

The Woodpecker Trail is a self-guided, mildly strenuous nature walk, three-quarters of a mile in length. This footpath crosses a meadow, winds along Sky Creek and weaves through a dense forest of bay, oak and Douglas fir trees. The forest is alive with animal activity, especially woodpeckers, squirrels and deer.

Longer hike options are also available. Energetic members of your group can hike to the top of Mount Wittenberg. The Mount Wittenberg and Meadow trails create a 4-mile moderately strenuous loop with steep sections along the way. These trails cut through thick forest before emerging onto grassland slopes with panoramic views.

The large picnic area across the street from the visitor center is where the festival will be held. It has many picnic tables among tall Douglas fir trees and a restroom nearby. For more information about the festival or the Point Reyes Trails Challenge go to www.ptreyes.org.

To reach Bear Valley, follow Sir Francis Drake Boulevard to Olema. Turn right on Highway 1 for a short distance, then left onto Bear Valley Road. Follow the signs to the visitor center.